The subject matter described and/or illustrated herein relates generally to electrical connector assemblies, and more particularly, to electrical connector assemblies for pluggable electrical components.
Some known electrical connector assemblies include a metal cage having one or more ports for receiving pluggable electrical components, such as small form factor pluggable (SFP) modules. The ports enable the pluggable electrical components to plug into an electrical connector that is held within the cage and electronically connected to a host circuit board. An end of the cage that includes the ports is typically held within a panel of a housing that contains the host circuit board therein. For example, the housing may be the housing of a computer that includes the host circuit board. An electrically conductive gasket may extend circumferentially around the end of the cage. The gasket is engaged between the panel and the cage and facilitates containing electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions by grounding the cage to the panel. The gasket is sometimes referred to as an EMI gasket.
Some known EMI gaskets are formed from one or more metal plates that extend around and engage the end of the cage. The metal plates include spring fingers that are bowed outwardly relative to the cage. The spring fingers engage the panel to ground the end of the cage to the panel about the circumference of the end. In an effort to reduce the cost and complexity of such EMI gaskets, some known EMI gaskets are formed from a length of an electrically conductive cord. The cord is wrapped around the end of the cage and includes opposite ends that are connected together using an adhesive such that the cord forms a continuous band around the end of the cage. The cord is often formed from a length of hollow tube that has at least some elasticity to facilitate engagement of the tube with the cage along the circumference of the end of the cage. As described above, the ends of the cord are connected together using an adhesive, which may present one or more disadvantages. For example, the adhesive may increase the cost and/or complexity of the EMI gasket and/or the electrical connector assembly overall. Increased costs may arise, for example, from the cost of the adhesive itself and/or from the difficulty and/or time it takes to connect the ends of the cord together using the adhesive. Containment, drying or curing time, and cleanup are merely some examples of possible disadvantages of adhesive.